JP2012043120A - Touch pad for electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch pad that can be easily operated in a dark place and enables long-term use of an electronic apparatus.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a touch pad 1 for an electronic apparatus that is separated from the electronic apparatus and operates the electronic apparatus. The touch pad 1 includes, in a laminating manner: an operation plate 20 that functions as a half mirror and is operable on its front surface side; a light-guiding plate 30 that is placed on the back side of the operation plate 20 and can irradiate the operation plate 20 by guiding light from an external light source 71; and a touch sensor 50 that is placed on the back side of the light-guiding plate 30 and can specify an operation position by operation on the surface of the operation plate 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch pad for an electronic device that can be operated by wired or wireless access to the electronic device.

  Conventionally, in-vehicle electronic devices represented by car audio systems, car navigation systems, and the like have been provided with operation parts that protrude to the front side, such as pushbutton switches and dials. Recently, there has been a risk of injury due to hitting, and in recent years it has been changing to a flat appearance with as few protrusions as possible with an emphasis on safety. In addition, even in electronic devices such as home audio devices, an appearance design that prevents an infant from being injured or prevents dust and dirt from collecting by eliminating protruding portions as much as possible is performed. One example of an operation method that plays a role in this is a touch panel method that operates by directly touching a display. When operating a touch-panel type electronic device, the operator touches the screen of the electronic device and performs various operations to switch the image displayed on the screen, for example, when a map is displayed. The map can be enlarged or reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-265544 A

  In the case of a touch panel type electronic device, when the power is turned on, the LCD, which is a display, is illuminated by a backlight from the back side, so that it can be easily touched and operated even when the surroundings are dark.

  However, since the operation is performed by directly touching the display that displays the image, there is a problem that the surface of the display becomes dirty or is easily damaged by a nail during operation. In particular, if the surface of the display is damaged, it is necessary to replace the expensive electronic device itself.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem, that is, it is easy to operate even in a dark place and enables long-term use of an electronic device.

  In order to solve the above-described object, one embodiment of the present invention is a touch pad for an electronic device that operates the electronic device separately from the electronic device and functions as a half mirror and can be operated from the front side. And a light guide plate that is disposed on the back side of the operation plate, guides light from an external light source and can be illuminated toward the operation plate, and is disposed on the back side of the light guide plate. It is a touch pad for an electronic device including a touch sensor that can specify an operation position by a surface operation.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a touch pad for an electronic device further including a light guide suppression layer for suppressing light guide to the touch sensor side between the light guide plate and the touch sensor.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a touch pad for an electronic device in which an uneven region that easily guides light in the direction of the operation plate is further formed in a part of the light guide plate.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a touch pad for an electronic device in which an uneven region is further formed on the surface of the light guide plate on the touch sensor side.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a touch pad for electronic equipment, in which the touch sensor is a capacitive sensor, and the reflective layer formed on the operation plate is a layer in which the constituent particles are dispersed in an island shape. is there.

  According to the present invention, it is easy to operate even in a dark place, and an electronic device can be used for a long time.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electronic device touchpad according to a first embodiment and an electronic device that receives an operation from the touchpad and changes an image display. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the touch pad shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the touch pad shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the touch pad shown in FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the touch pad shown in FIG. 3 and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the center portion of the touch sensor. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the operation plate shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting an operation position by the touch sensor shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a touch sensor provided in the touch pad according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the touch sensor shown in FIG. 9 is assembled. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in a region D shown in FIG.

  Embodiments of the touch pad for electronic equipment according to the present invention will be described below.

1. First embodiment

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electronic device touchpad according to a first embodiment and an electronic device that receives an operation from the touchpad and changes an image display.

  An electronic device touchpad (hereinafter simply referred to as “touchpad”) 1 is an operation device that can transmit an operation signal to the electronic device 2 by wire or wirelessly, and is separate from the electronic device 2. It is configured. For example, when an operation on the operation surface of the touch pad 1 is operated diagonally right upward (direction indicated by X), the object 5 displayed on the display 3 of the electronic device 2 is in the state of the display 5a (displayed by a dotted line in FIG. 1). To the display 5b diagonally right upward (direction indicated by X). As described above, the image displayed on the electronic device 2 can be moved, rotated, enlarged / reduced, selected, and the like by receiving an operation from the touch pad 1.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the touch pad shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the touch pad shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the touch pad shown in FIG.

  The touch pad 1 includes an operation panel 20, a light guide plate 30, a light guide suppression layer 40, and a touch in order from the upper housing 10 side in a space formed by aligning the upper housing 10 and the lower housing 60 with each other. The sensor 50 is provided by stacking.

  The upper housing 10 is a thin and rectangular case preferably made of a hard resin such as polypropylene, and has a rectangular through-hole 11 at substantially the center in the surface thereof. Around the through hole 11, an inclined portion 12 that is gently inclined downward from the upper surface of the upper housing 10 toward the through hole 11 is formed. Further, one side surface of the upper housing 10 has a small through-hole 13 so that light can enter from the through-hole 13 into the inside. The lower housing 60 is a thin and rectangular case having substantially the same opening area as that of the upper housing 10 and preferably made of hard resin such as polypropylene. Have The through hole 61 is a hole for electrically connecting the touch sensor 50 described later to an external circuit board, a power source, and the like.

  The operation plate 20 functions as a half mirror and can be operated from the front side of the touch pad 1. As will be described later, the operation plate 20 is a multilayer plate in which a film is formed on a resin-made or glass-made transparent plate 22. The operation plate 20 is thinly formed so that the operation can be transmitted to the inside when a touch operation is performed with a finger or the like from the front side. For example, a suitable thickness of the operation plate 20 is 80 to 150 μm.

  The light guide plate 30 is a member that is disposed on the back side of the operation plate 20, guides light from an external light source, and illuminates the operation plate 20. The light guide plate 30 is preferably composed of a highly transparent resin such as an acrylic resin. However, the light guide plate 30 may be made of glass. The light guide plate 30 is thinly formed to a level at which an operation from the direction of the operation plate 20 can be transmitted to the back side. For example, a suitable thickness of the light guide plate 30 is 100 to 150 μm. The light guide plate 30 includes, in part, an uneven region 31 that is easily formed to guide light in the direction of the operation plate 20. In this embodiment, the uneven region 31 is formed on the back surface of the light guide plate 30 in the shape of the letter “P” in plan view. However, the uneven region 31 may be formed on the front side surface or inside of the light guide plate 30. The roughness of the concavo-convex surface of the concavo-convex region 31 can be changed as appropriate depending on the light amount from the light source, the transparency of the light guide plate 30, the distance from the operation plate 20, and the like. Is preferred. The uneven area 31 can be suitably formed by mold transfer, laser etching, or the like. A projecting adhesive region 32 is formed on the outer periphery of the front side surface of the light guide plate 30. The adhesion region 32 can be suitably formed with, for example, a double-sided tape. By forming the adhesion region 32, an air layer can be formed between the operation plate 20 and the light guide plate 30, and as a result, the light reflected by the uneven region 31 can be easily seen from the operation plate 20. it can.

  The light guide suppression layer 40 is a black or silver layer, and after the light passing through the inside of the light guide plate 30 is reflected by the uneven region 31, it is guided to the touch sensor 50 side so that the touch sensor 50 is operated. It has a role to prevent it from being seen from the 20 side. The light guide suppression layer 40 is not necessarily provided as long as a black or silver layer is present on the upper side in the thickness direction of the touch sensor 50, but by arranging the light guide suppression layer 40 on the back side of the light guide plate 30, Light incident on the touch sensor 50 side can be suppressed. The light guide suppression layer 40 can be made of, for example, a resin film printed with carbon black, indium, or the like.

  The touch sensor 50 is a sensor that detects an operation from the surface on the front side of the operation plate 20, regardless of whether it is a resistance film type or a capacitance type. In this embodiment, the touch sensor 50 is a resistive film type sensor. The configuration of the touch sensor 50 will be described later.

  5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the touch pad shown in FIG. 3 and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the center portion of the touch sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the through hole 13 formed on one side surface of the upper housing 10 is formed at the height of the side end surface of the light guide plate 30. An external light source (LED in this embodiment) 71 fixed on a circuit board 70 disposed outside is inserted into the through hole 13. As a result, the light from the LED 71 enters from the side end face of the light guide plate 30, is reflected by the uneven region 31, and can travel toward the operation plate 20 side. The through hole 13 may be formed on the lower housing 60 side.

  The touch sensor 50 includes two insulating substrates 51 and 52. The insulating substrate 51 is preferably made of a resin plate having high insulation and excellent flexibility, and is made of, for example, PET resin or acrylic resin. The thickness of the insulating substrate 51 is preferably 10 to 40 μm. On the other hand, since the insulating substrate 52 does not need flexibility if the insulating property is high, it may be made of, for example, glass or ceramics in addition to the resin. Further, the insulating substrate 52 may be thicker than the insulating substrate 51.

  The insulating substrate 51 has a plurality of electrode plates 55a, 55b, 55c, 55d, 55e, and 55f (in general terms, electrode plates 55) fixed to the back surface thereof. The insulating substrate 52 has a plurality of electrode plates 54c and the like (or electrode plates 54 in a collective term) fixed to the front surface thereof so as to be orthogonal to the electrode plates 55. The electrode plates 55 and 54 are made of a metal such as Cu or Ag having excellent conductivity, preferably on the insulating substrates 51 and 52 by a method such as printing or vapor deposition. The insulating substrate 51 and the insulating substrate 52 are arranged so that the electrode plate 55 and the electrode plate 54 face each other and the electrode plates 55 and 54 are not brought into contact with each other when not operated from the operation plate 20 side. In order to prevent erroneous contact between the electrode plate 55 and the electrode plate 54 during non-operation, an insulating protrusion 53 that protrudes toward the insulating substrate 51 is provided between the electrode plates 54 of the insulating substrate 52. Is preferred. The protruding portion 53 can be formed by printing or the like, for example. A more detailed structure of the touch sensor 50 will be described later.

  6 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the operation plate shown in FIG.

  The operation plate 20 is configured by laminating a hard coat layer 21, a transparent substrate 22, a reflective layer 23, and a concealing layer 24 in order from the front side. The hard coat layer 21 is a layer formed to protect the transparent substrate 22 from scratches during operation. For example, UV curing acrylic resin, or thermosetting of melamine resin, epoxy resin, phenol resin, silicone resin, etc. It is preferably formed from a functional resin. A suitable thickness of the hard coat layer 21 is 1 to 20 μm.

  The transparent substrate 22 is preferably a PET resin, an acrylic resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polymer alloy composed of a polycarbonate resin and a polyester resin, an ABS resin, an AS resin, a polystyrene resin, a polyolefin resin, Alternatively, it is made of a vinyl chloride resin, and is particularly preferably constituted by a PET resin. A suitable thickness of the transparent substrate 22 is 80 to 100 μm.

  The reflective layer 23 has a function of reflecting light from the front side when the LED 71 is extinguished and preventing the outline of the translucent region from appearing thin. Further, the provision of the reflective layer 23 is more preferable because the use surface can be seen as a smooth and glossy plane. For the reflective layer 23, a resin binder in which inorganic pigment particles or metal particles are dispersed can be used. As a material to be dispersed, for example, a pigment (pearl pigment) obtained by coating natural or synthetic mica with a metal oxide such as titanium oxide or iron oxide in addition to indium can be suitably used. A suitable thickness of the reflective layer 23 is 0.1 to 10 μm. The inorganic pigment particles or metal particles constituting the reflective layer 23 may exist in close contact or may be dispersed in an island shape.

  The concealment layer 24 is a layer for concealing the presence of the uneven region 31 from the operation surface side when the LED 71 is turned off. Since the concealing layer 24 can absorb a predetermined amount of light, it does not transmit light when the amount of light is small. On the other hand, when the amount of light is large, the concealing layer 24 transmits light that exceeds the amount of light that can be absorbed. That is, the concealment layer 24 is a layer having a light semi-transmissive function. The concealing layer 24 is preferably composed of, for example, black or gray or a mixture of black and white adjusted to have a total light transmittance of about 20%. It is desirable to adjust the total light transmittance by adjusting the black density in accordance with the light intensity of the internal light source. In addition, as the black pigment, for example, a particulate carbon material such as carbon black can be used, and the desired transmittance can be adjusted by controlling the content and dispersion state thereof. A suitable thickness of the masking layer 24 is 0.1 to 10 μm. Similarly to the reflective layer 23, the concealing layer 24 may have the constituent particles in close contact or may be dispersed in an island shape.

  FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of detecting an operation position by the touch sensor shown in FIG.

  As described above, the electrode plates 55 a, 55 b, 55 c, 55 d, 55 e, 55 f fixed to the back surface of the insulating substrate 51 are the electrode plates 54 a, 54 b, 54 c, fixed to the front surface of the insulating substrate 52. It is orthogonal to 54d, 54e, 54f. The protrusion 53 is formed around the electrode plate 54, but may be formed around the electrode plate 55. The electrode plates 55a, 55b, 55c, 55d, 55e, and 55f are respectively end electrodes 58a, 58b, 58c, 58d, 58e, and 58f formed of silver paste or the like at one end in the length direction (in the case of generic names) Are connected to wirings 59a, 59b, 59c, 59d, 59e, and 59f (collectively referred to as “wiring 59”). Similarly, the electrode plates 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d, 54e, and 54f also have end electrodes 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d, 56e, and 56f (referred to collectively as “end electrodes 56”), respectively. And connected to wirings 57a, 57b, 57c, 57d, 57e, and 57f (collectively, “wiring 57”).

  As described above, in the touch sensor 50, the electrode plates 55 and the electrode plates 54 are orthogonal to each other and arranged to face each other. As a result, on the touch panel 50, the plurality of electrodes (X1 to X6) arranged in parallel in the X axis direction and the plurality of electrodes (Y1 to Y6) arranged in parallel in the Y axis direction face each other in a non-contact state. XY coordinates are formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the operator presses the position B of the coordinates (X5, Y3) from the operation plate 20, the electrode plate 54e and the electrode plate 55c are electrically connected. As a result, the control unit 80 (for example, disposed on the insulating substrate 52) recognizes that the position B has been operated, and transmits this information to the control unit 90 on the electronic device 2 side. The controller 90 executes image display based on this information. For example, when the operation on the operation panel 20 is an operation for continuously changing the pressing position, the coordinates change every moment, so that the control unit 90 of the electronic device 2 receives from the control unit 80 of the touch pad 1. The image is displayed so as to move based on the information. In addition, after the power supply of the touchpad 1 is turned on, it can be set so that the LED 71 is turned on at the first operation. In that case, the control unit 80 turns on the LED 71 based on a program that turns on the LED 71 regardless of which electrode plate 55 and the electrode plate 54 are conductive.

2. Second Embodiment The touch pad 1 according to the second embodiment is a projection capacitive type touch sensor 50 of the touch pad 1 according to the first embodiment from a resistive film type. It has been changed to. Since the configuration other than the touch sensor 50 is the same as that of the first embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a touch sensor provided in the touch pad according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which the touch sensor shown in FIG. 9 is assembled. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in a region D shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the touch sensor 50 of the touch pad 1 according to the second embodiment has a structure in which an insulating film 153 is sandwiched between an insulating substrate 151 and an insulating substrate 152. The insulating substrate 151 has elongated electrode plates 164 a, 164 b, 164 c, 164 d, 164 e, 164 f, 164 f, 164 c, 164 d, 164 f, Eight 164g and 164h (collectively referred to as “electrode plates 164”) are fixed in parallel. Lead wires 170a, 170b, 170c, 170d, 170e, 170f, 170g, and 170h are connected to one of the electrode plates 164a, 164b, 164c, 164d, 164e, 164f, 164g, and 164h, respectively. Similarly, the insulating substrate 152 has elongated electrode plates 154a, 154b, and 154c in which rhombus-shaped conductive plates 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, and 161 are connected in series in the respective diagonal directions on the front surface. , 154d (collectively referred to as “electrode plates 154”) are fixed in parallel. Lead wires 162a, 162b, 162c, and 162d are connected to one of the electrode plates 154a, 154b, 154c, and 154d, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the electrode plates 164a, 164b, 164c, 164d, 164e, 164f, 164g, 164h and the electrode plates 154a, 154b, 154c, 154d are in a plan view from above the insulating substrate 151. It is arranged so as not to overlap in the front and back direction so as to fill the gap. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, there are no conductive plates 156, 157 etc. constituting the electrode plate 154 on the back side of the insulating film 153 such as the conductive plate 167 constituting the electrode plate 164, There are no conductive plates 166, 167 or the like on the front side of the insulating film 153 such as the conductive plates 156, 157. In the touch sensor 50, since the electrode plate 164 and the electrode plate 154 are arranged as described above, there is no area that cannot be detected when the operator brings a finger close to the insulating substrate 151 from above.

  The projected capacitive touch sensor 50 detects the coordinates in the Y direction by changing the capacitance between the electrode plate 164 fixed to the insulating substrate 151 and the operator's finger, and the insulating substrate 152. The coordinate in the X direction is detected by changing the electrostatic capacitance between the electrode plate 154 fixed to the operator and the operator's finger. As a result, the coordinates of the part touched with the finger or the like can be specified. For example, when the finger is traced on the operation plate 20 in a predetermined direction, the control unit 80 that has received the signal from the touch sensor 50 receives the coordinates of the operation position. Can be recognized.

  The touch sensor 50 is a projected capacitive sensor that measures self-capacitance, but a projected capacitive sensor that measures mutual capacitance may be used. A touch sensor of the type that measures mutual capacitance uses a plurality of electrode plates in one direction (for example, the X-axis direction) as drive electrodes and a plurality of electrode plates in the other direction (for example, the Y-axis direction) as reception electrodes. By arranging the electrode and the receiving electrode to face each other with an insulating film in between, even if there are a plurality of coordinates of the position touched by a finger or the like, all of the sensors can be specified. For this reason, the touch sensor of the type that measures the mutual capacitance can also handle multi-touch, and when two fingers come into contact with the operation plate 20 or are moved, It is possible to detect the place where the finger is in contact. Therefore, for example, when an operator brings two fingers into contact with a predetermined location on the operation plate 20 and moves the fingers away from or closer to each other, the movement can be detected. For this reason, the image can be enlarged or reduced in a state close to the operator's sense.

  In the case of the touch pad 1 including the capacitive touch sensor 50, if each constituent particle of the reflective layer 23 and the concealing layer 24 formed on the operation plate 20 is made of a highly conductive material, the finger is attached to the operation plate 20. When approached, it may be difficult to detect a change in capacitance at that location. This is because the entirety of the reflective layer 23 or the shielding layer 24 can act as an electrode. For this reason, it is preferable that the constituent particles of the reflective layer 23 and the concealing layer 24 are dispersed and arranged in an island shape so that the particles or the particle lump are less likely to be conducted.

3. Other Embodiments The electronic device touchpad according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and for example, the following modifications may be made.

  Since the touch sensor 50 does not illuminate from the back side, the touch sensor 50 does not necessarily need to be made of a material having excellent transparency. However, the electrode plates 54, 55, 154, and 164 are made of a material other than a metal such as Cu or Ag, for example, It is good also as a transparent electrode excellent in electroconductivity, such as ITO.

  Only the reflective layer 23 may be formed on the back side of the transparent substrate 22 without forming the concealing layer 24 which is one of the layers constituting the operation plate 20. Further, the hard coat layer 21 is not necessarily required when the transparent substrate 22 is made of glass.

  The touch sensor 50 is a matrix resistive film type touch sensor that is one of resistive film type sensors in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the touch sensor 50 is a projection type static sensor that measures self-capacitance or mutual capacitance. Although described as a capacitive touch sensor, it is not limited to these. For example, even a resistive film type sensor can use a 4- to 8-wire analog resistive film type sensor. Further, even a capacitance type sensor may be a surface type or inner type sensor instead of the projection type described above. Furthermore, the touch sensor 50 may be an optical method or an ultrasonic method instead of the resistive film method or the capacitance method.

  The present invention can be used as an operating device for operating an electronic device.

1 Touchpad (Touchpad for electronic equipment)
2 Electronic device 20 Operation plate 23 Reflective layer 30 Light guide plate 31 Uneven region 40 Light guide suppression layer 50 Touch sensor 71 LED (external light source)

Claims (5)

A touch pad for an electronic device that operates the electronic device separately from the electronic device,
An operation plate that functions as a half mirror and can be operated from the front side.
A light guide plate that is disposed on the back side of the operation plate, guides light from an external light source, and illuminates the operation plate;
A touch sensor disposed on the back side of the light guide plate and capable of specifying an operation position by a surface operation on the operation plate;
A touch pad for electronic equipment, comprising:   The touch pad for electronic devices according to claim 1, further comprising a light guide suppression layer for suppressing light guide to the touch sensor side between the light guide plate and the touch sensor.   3. The touch pad for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an uneven region that is easy to guide light in a direction of the operation plate is formed in a part of the light guide plate. 4.   4. The electronic device touch pad according to claim 3, wherein the uneven region is formed on a surface of the light guide plate on the touch sensor side. The touch sensor is a capacitive sensor,
5. The touch pad for an electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective layer formed on the operation plate is a layer in which constituent particles are dispersed in an island shape. 6.

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